Nikola Jokic sent a strong message to the Denver Nuggets after the 123-100 loss against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. According to the Serbian star, this is a timely warning for what’s to come in the playoffs.
“We had the nine-game winning streak against teams that were injured and teams that were not really good or high in the standings. So, maybe we tricked ourselves into thinking that we are playing good.”
Jokic might be absolutely right. The game against the Lakers was the first in all of February in which the Nuggets faced a team with a record over .500. Now, Denver only has a two-game lead over the Lakers in the race for the No.3 seed in the West, with Luka Doncic showing his true form after the blockbuster trade from Dallas.
Can the Nuggets win the NBA Finals?
Nikola Jokic admitted that the loss to the Lakers could be a turning point in the Denver Nuggets’ season. If they don’t heed this wake-up call, their championship hopes could vanish given the tough schedule ahead.
“Definitely, when you lose almost by 30, you should worry and you should think about it. We have a really tough schedule with four road games. All four against top five or top six teams in the East. So, we cannot turn the ball over especially on the road. We need to be more resilient and just play harder. Hopefully, we can change something in this road trip.”